ODROID-X is like a quad-core Raspberry Pi for $129

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So you’re intrigued by the $35 Raspberry Pi, but just don’t feel like its 700MHz processor will be able to handle your DIY computing needs? Korean company hardkernel has a slightly beefier option for you: the ODROID-X developer board.

The ODROID features a smokin’ fast Samsung Exynos 4412 processor clocked at 1.4GHz — and it also happens to pack four cores. While opinions remain split on whether or not additional cores really make that much difference with most of today’s Android apps, it’s safe to assume that the Cortex-A9-based 4412 is a substantial upgrade over the Pi’s ARM11 chip. And with a Mali-400 GPU on board (like the Samsung Galaxy S3), the ODROID offers plenty of extra multimedia muscle, too.

It’s also got four times as much memory (1GB vs. 256MB) and a whole slew of connectivity options. There are six USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet jack, audio in and out, an SD card reader, and a micro HDMI output. The ODROID (which measures 90 x 94mm) is about twice as wide as the Raspberry Pi, but that’s understandable. All those extra connectors take up space.

Android is supported out of the box, but Ubuntu 12.04 (and presumably other ARM-compatible distributions) run just fine.

Hardkernel offers a number of add-ons for the board, including a Wi-Fi module, webcam, and both 10 and 13-inch LCD panels in case you want to build your own Android kiosk computer.

Curious about what kind of performance you can expect? Check out the video below to see a four-way cart race running on the board.